School of Optometry at the University of Waterloo

200 University Avenue West Waterloo, Ontario, N2L 3G1 Canada Phone: 519-888-4567 Fax: 519-725-0784 Email: admissions@optometry.uwaterloo.ca http://www.optometry.uwaterloo.ca/

The University of Waterloo School of Optometry is one of two optometry schools in Canada, but is the only one with optometric training done in English. The school offers an accredited 4-year Doctor of Optometry program, along with graduate studies that lead to a Masters and Doctor of Philosophy in Vision Science. The school also features several clinics to help students gain experience, and two of these are the TLC - The Laser Center and the Pediatric and Special Needs Clinic. The class profile for students admitted in 2007 included 225 applicants and 90 enrolled, which makes a good ratio for perspective students. The overall average OAT score was very high at 370.

Tuition

The tuition for the School of Optometry at the University of Waterloo for the 2009-2010 academic year for Canadian citizens and permanent residents was around $12,100 for the first year, $11,200 for the second year, $11,000 for the third year, and $15,700 for the final year. This comes out to a total of approximately $50,000. For international students, the tuition was around $31,000 for years 1 to 3 and $46,500 for the last year, for a total of approximately $140,000. Please check the school for updated and accurate tuition and fees.

Education Requirements

The School of Optometry at Waterloo does not require completion of an undergraduate degree, but applicants must complete at least 3 years in a Bachelor’s of Science program from an accredited 4-year institution. Applicants must also complete all prerequisite courses by the deadline, which generally has been the end of May. Courses include basics to help development in the sciences like Introductory Ethics, General Biology with lab, Physiology, General Chemistry with lab, and Calculus. The school has also set limits of an overall GPA of 3.0 on a 4.0 scale and a minimum score of at least 300 on all parts of the OAT.

Admissions Checklist

• School of Optometry Application- OptomCAS + Supplemental Application
• Canadian Citizenship or legal resident of Canada for a minimum of twelve months unless applying as international student
• Autobiographic Sketch
• Official academic transcripts
• OAT Scores
• Two Letters of recommendation – one from a practicing non-related optometrist, one from a university professor/instructor
• Test of English as a Foreign Language (TOEFL) – applicants who have not studied in an English language school system in the last 5 years